The Daily RotationPutting A New Spin On Media2016-12-06T23:47:59Zhttp://www.thedailyrotation.com/feed/atom/WordPressJeremy Lebenshttp://twitter.com/#!/MinimeJer05http://www.thedailyrotation.com/?p=309952016-12-06T23:47:59Z2016-12-06T23:47:48ZAnother creepy-looking horror movie set to hit theaters this Christmas. Check out Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch in The Autopsy of Jane Doe.

]]>1Jeremy Lebenshttp://twitter.com/#!/MinimeJer05http://www.thedailyrotation.com/?p=309912016-12-06T23:33:12Z2016-12-06T23:33:12ZMarvel teases more of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and it looks fantastic.

]]>0Jeremy Lebenshttp://twitter.com/#!/MinimeJer05http://www.thedailyrotation.com/?p=309882016-12-06T23:29:57Z2016-12-06T23:29:49ZTom Cruise runs from monsters and free-falling planes in first trailer for The Mummy.

]]>Star Trekreboot writer Alex Kurtzman is stepping up to the big leagues, directing the intro to Universal’s planned Monsters Cinematic Universe, which will feature starring man Tom Cruise in The Mummy.

This film will have nothing to do with the Brenden Fraiser classics, but it will start piecing together a larger cinematic universe and even tie into the original Monster Movies from Universal’s past.

I’m less excited about this actual trailer, but I am excited about more monster movies, despite this one not looking too much like a horror movie and more so a generic action flick.

Fashion designer Tom Ford is back in the world of film with Nocturnal Animals, his latest film to feature stylistic thrills and well-shot set pieces after having taken a slight hiatus after A Single Man. Nocturnal Animals isn’t just a beautiful-looking film though, in fact it’s rather ugly, depicting an on-the-surface revenge tale that’s actually about love, self-loathing and redemption.

Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) is a successful art gallery owner that fails to see the achievement in her work. She’s constantly doubting herself and almost always relying on the compliments of those around her to make sense of her oh so perfect life.

Her husband Hutton (Armie Hammer) is clearly sneaking around behind her back and it’s not clear if Susan simply doesn’t care or is afraid to confront him and risk losing him to a much younger woman.

This constant self-doubt and questioning didn’t begin with Hutton though, in fact it started a long time ago and had an opportunity to change when she fell in love with her first husband, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Edward represented a change for Susan and allowed her to access a different side of her personality that didn’t exactly mirror her mother, who she despises.

But life is full of surprises and Edward is no longer in the picture.

Nocturnal Animals on the surface presents itself as a simple story-within-a-story, allowing Susan to read the novel written by her ex-husband and slowly draw connections between the characters and situations in the novel and her own past experiences in life.

Initially, it comes off as a threatening piece of literature that she can’t put down, but quickly it starts to encompass her life as the past inches closer and closer to the present.

And that’s just part of Tom Ford‘s latest film, which is gorgeous to look at and almost just as engaging on a thematic level. I’ll openly admit that Nocturnal Animals isn’t nearly as strong or as potent as his previous film, A Single Man — but it’s an eye-opener that will haunt you the more you think about it.

That’s because Ford’s film is full of seedy characters that manage to engage you on multiple levels. Take for instance Aaron Taylor-Johnson‘s Ray; he’s a sick and cruel individual with little backstory, yet his unpredictability makes him a ball of nerves to watch. Taylor-Johnson gets completely lost in the role, balancing on the verge of rapist psychopath and coy murderer in a way that feels frighteningly authentic.

Meanwhile, Michael Shannon plays the firm law of the film, turning in a performance that could’ve been just another cop role, but instead is turned into an ultimate story of doing what’s right. His morality goes head-to-head with his own understanding of the law’s arms and it’s mighty satisfying watching his character in the film’s last act.

Jake Gyllenhaal‘s performance (or should I say performances?) are equally impressive, with Gyllenhaal pulling in double duties as both Susan’s ex-husband and a character within the book that he’s writing.

He’s mostly the character within the book and while inside the novel he unleashes a performance that’s full of vulnerability and complicated emotions. His character can ultimately be summed up as a metaphor for love, often-times grappling with the struggles of relationships in a way that’s both respectable and sad. His character grows the most and is smart enough to recognize his weaknesses and adapt on the fly.

This leaves us with Amy Adams‘ Susan. Adams does a phenomenal job initially hiding Susan’s unhappiness and lack of confidence, slowly turning the character against the audience as her true self is revealed. Most actresses would make Susan downright detestable from start-to-finish, yet Adams manages to make her as human as possible.

This leads to one of the most abrupt, yet satisfying endings to grace the silver screen this year.

Tom Ford knows precisely where to cut the film and his stern direction is the bulk of the reason as to why Nocturnal Animals is as good as it is.

Nocturnal Animals isn’t a perfect film by any definition, but it’s one of those “Oscar contenders” that’s actually worthy of the buzz. It’s dark, stylish and seedy all wrapped into one, topped with a perverted cherry. I know that may not sound like the most usual of praise, but trust me when I say that Nocturnal Animals is far from usual, yet that’s exactly why you should give it a shot.

]]>The digital currency bitcoin first made the news back in 2009, but it has taken quite a long time for it to become anything like mainstream. To begin with, it only made sense to the techy few and remained a bit of a mystery for the rest of us.

Nowadays, though, there are all kinds of things you can do with bitcoin. It can be used to buy and sell goods, some major retailers now accept bitcoin payments, and there are a number of sites that sell bitcoin gift cards to use with the big retailers that don’t accept the cryptocurrency directly. One area where it’s really taken off is the iGaming industry. Gaming platforms such as Microsoft and Stream accept bitcoin and you can also play casino games betting with bitcoin. Bitcoin pokies is a site which reviews the best bitcasino games out there, as well as detailing the benefits of playing with bitcoin rather than with fiat currencies.

As bitcoin has become something that’s generally better understood and more wellknown, it’s not surprising that it’s finally beginning to make its mark in the movie world too. The first film that’s really had a plot that revolves around bitcoins was released earlier this year and is a Vietnamese comedy action movie called Bitcoin Heist (Siêu Trộm).

The premise of the movie is a group of specialist criminals who are recruited by a special agent, DaDa, to catch one of Interpol’s most wanted individuals, “The Ghost.” Think Ocean’s 11 meets Mission Impossible, set in Saigon. Although bitcoin features heavily, with lots of transactions using fancy gadgets taking place throughout the movie, there’s plenty of fighting action and comedic moments too. The story unfolds in the streets, clubs and the financial centre of the Vietnamese capital.

The criminal crew includes a street magician and pickpocket called Jack Magique (Petey Majik Nguyen); a dad and daughter pair of grifters, Luhan (Jayvee Mai The Hiep) and Linh (Lam Thanh My); and Vi, an expert hacker and League of Legends champion, played by Vietnamese rap star Suboi. The final member of the squad is the inside man – Phuc, (Thanh Pham), the Ghost’s accountant. Phuc has agreed to work for the police to get protection from his employer, a Mafioso Korean-German playboy industrialist called Thomas Nam (Teo Yoo).

Of course, nothing’s straightforward when you get an alliance of criminals working together, so the plot offers plenty of twists and turns in amongst the action, and director Ham Tran adds to the entertainment with loads of special effects.

Before Bitcoin Heist, the only films about bitcoin had been documentaries – such as the Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014) – which explored the history and gradual adoption of the currency, and acted as a way of introducing the concept of cryptocurrencies to wider audiences. Bitcoin Heist takes things a step further, weaving a classic heist tale around a technological phenomenon. This may be the first time that we’ve seen a bitcoin-centred feature film, but with the currency’s increasing popularity, it’s unlikely to be a one-off.

]]>0Derek Merdanhttp://www.twitch.tv/propernountheheelhttp://www.thedailyrotation.com/?p=309762016-12-05T16:36:50Z2016-12-05T16:36:50ZThe highly-anticipated sequel to 2013's The Last of Us has been revealed to the world with a doozy of a trailer.

]]>I remember the moment that I experienced the conclusion to developer Naughty Dog‘s smash 2013 hit, The Last of Us. I remember the very subtle, nuanced character writing I had experienced over the course of twelve or so hours. And I certainly remember the ambiguous ending that, if I’m being completely honest, didn’t leave me quite satisfied. It didn’t wrap up its loose ends, but it didn’t necessarily feel like the precursor to a sequel we all knew was coming, either.

And now The Last of Us: Part II is officially on its way to Playstation 4 and Playstation 4 Pro. The trailer itself is a beauty, with shots of dense woodlands and eventually Ellie plays us a little ditty on the ol’ guitar as Joel strolls in for some brief dialogue that is pretty self-explanatory, yet vague enough to keep me very excited.

As of yet, not a lot is known of setting or plot elements, other than Ellie being the player character. The, uh…very angry and bloodthirsty player character, if the trailer is any indication. The game’s director, Neil Druckmann, has noted that Part II is “a game about hate”, which is diametric to the narrative of the first game, and regarding the release date, that it is “a ways off.”

]]>0Jeremy Lebenshttp://twitter.com/#!/MinimeJer05http://www.thedailyrotation.com/?p=309722016-12-01T23:04:49Z2016-12-01T23:04:49ZJames Gunn and Greg McLean team up for The Belko Experiment. Are you ready for a little office-themed horror?

Director Ang Lee‘s latest wartime drama Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is an interesting mess of a film, struggling to piece together a coherent story, despite starring many known names, such as Steve Martin, Garrett Hedlund, Chris Tucker, Vin Diesel and Kristen Stewart, while also introducing Joe Alwyn. Unfortunately, the star power does very little, while Lee’s visuals and storytelling methods keep Billy Lynn emotionally void, despite such emotional material.

Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) is a sudden war hero after footage of him coming to the rescue of his superior (Vin Diesel) goes viral. Suddenly, the worst day of his life becomes the best day of everyone else in America’s and now Billy is faced with the horrid pleasure of re-living those moments over and over as he and the rest of his squad tour America in hopes of inspiring and sharing their story.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is an interesting concept for a film, based on the book of the same name. It’s interesting because it approaches PTSD in a very strange way, partially acknowledging that it is a real thing that effects many soldiers returning home today, but also partially in a lazy way that uses it as a crutch for the rest of the film to stand on.

Billy is clearly a damaged young man that has seen more than enough war to leave him confused and vulnerable, yet the film’s story only focuses on the bad moments without much of a focus on the good.

It’s a troubling film to watch because it never deals with the situation or handles the pressure. It instead throws Billy to the wolves and wastes most of its running time on what-if scenarios that Billy keeps playing over and over in his head.

Yet the film is still a valuable watch for those that don’t truly understand how PTSD creeps its way into the lives of our beloved soldiers and how it lingers, long after an incident or event.

It also presents a twisted viewpoint on heroism and what some people think patriotism really is.

I’m not saying that Billy Lynn captures these moments and emotions perfectly or even paints a clear picture of what it’s trying to say, but I will say that Billy Lynn deserves points for trying to tackle such difficult source material. And it follows through until the very end, despite making the thematic choices that it does.

As a book, I’d imagine Billy Lynn is one fascinating read, but as a film it chugs along at a slow pace that relies too heavily on zoomed-up shots of both Billy’s friends and random strangers that try to act like they understand what Billy and his squad have gone through.

The film has been highly discussed from a technical standpoint for being one of the first films shot in 4K 3D and presented in 120 frames per second at very few locations around the world. Those that have seen it in this new groundbreaking format have commented saying that the film truly feels like an entirely different experience and that 120FPS might be the future of cinema.

But those like me that only had the chance to see the film in 2D at the traditional 24 frames per second are greeted with a visually odd film that relies far too much on slow motion shots and zoomed-up facial shots of characters as they spit out dialogue towards Billy.

It’s a disjointing feeling as the camera stiffly moves back and forth between zoomed-up close ups and random side shots of Billy as tears stream down his face and it honestly just doesn’t work, visually.

Ang Lee is known as a visual director that makes you feel with his images, yet Billy Lynn is a flat film that does not benefit from his usually-artistic eye.

Part of me believes that Lee got too caught up in the tech behind making the film. Perhaps he forgot that a good story, with rich characters make for a far better film than fancy 4K 3D sped up to 120FPS?

I’d love to see the film in its intended viewing format, but until that day comes I can only comment on what is widely available, which is the 2D 24FPS cut and the film as a whole.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is a random assortment of emotions and ideas, barely registering as anything more than a star-studded flop. Newcomer Joe Alwyn gives Billy a shy and depressed demeanor that doesn’t deserve much praise, while seasoned vets like Chris Tucker and Steve Martin simply show up to collect a check.

Vin Diesel and Garrett Hedlund attempt to extend their performances beyond pages on a script, but both lack both the charm and charisma to truly succeed.

The only real worthwhile performance comes from Kristen Stewart. She manages to give the film a balancing batch of emotions that at the very least try to conflict with the rest of the film’s washed-over feel.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk unfortunately is a film that most will forget within a few weeks, while the rest of us movie buffs wish we could’ve witnessed the film in 120FPS, but are also debating with the idea of having to ever watch this film again, only to checkout the new format.

Kelly Fremon Craig‘s The Edge of Seventeen is an oddball coming-of-age film that focuses more on brutal honesty than simply trying to entertain the youth of today’s world. It’s an R-rated take on the complicated life of a teenage girl that’s going through more than one life dilemma. It’s an honest film that’s scattered with real emotion, real comedy and real tragedy — all balled up into one messy film that’s admirable, but not perfect.

Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is a complicated individual. She doesn’t really have a lot of friends and she’s got some severe self-esteem issues. The closest person she can vent to is in the form of her teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson) and even he gets sick of her constant ranting.

But he listens, because he understands that Nadine is going through a lot and that she’ll hopefully figure things out in the end.

The Edge of Seventeen follows Nadine as she faces several life obstacles over her teenage years, primarily focusing on a falling out between her and her best friend — who has decided to start dating her older brother.

This, mixed with the passing of her father and general disliking of her mother — leaves Nadine in a socially awkward spot that forces her to branch out and attempt to piece back together the uneven pieces of her own puzzle known as life.

It’s a messy film, because teenagers live messy lives. We’ve all been there. We know what it’s like when one small life event feels like a world-ending game-changer. Maybe some of us haven’t quite experienced the extremes of Nadine’s own personal life struggles, but I’m sure others have and we can all relate to them.

And that’s what makes Kelly Fremon Craig‘s writing and directing a cornerstone to the success of the film, despite its shortcomings and over-abundance of quirk.

Craig’s script is sometimes a little too brutally honest and depressing, yet it works, because it makes way for some of the film’s stronger comedic bits.

Nadine isn’t exactly a likable character, which is where I had most of my problems with the film. I could understand her feeling of loneliness and of feeling out of place in such a weird and bizarre world, but I couldn’t get behind her general lack of respect towards basically everyone in her life.

The writing presents this as quirkiness and oddball humor, but the reveal makes Nadine come off as a slight asshole that’s more than hypocritical.

And that’s okay, because the film functions just fine under those assumptions quite well.

That’s mostly because of star Hailee Steinfeld and her ability to deliver a career-best performance since she stole the show in True Grit.

Finally, Steinfeld is given a complex individual to really sink her teeth into. She creates a three-dimensional character out of Nadine and somehow manages to make you feel for her, despite the remarks I made earlier about the character. This is because she’s an excellent actress that understands how to best capture the inner-functions of what truly goes on inside a teenager’s head.

It’s often a bit of a jumbled mess, but it’s also that of a bright young individual simply finding their way and forming themselves into adulthood.

Another highlight performance of the film is that of Woody Harrelson‘s character. Harrelson manages to make Mr. Bruner the most explosive element of the film, always encouraging Nadine and offering up hefty amounts of sarcastic advice. He’s also not afraid to fire back at her smart remarks and downright inappropriate behavior in a way that’s never condescending and instead accepting and guiding.

His character may not be the sole focus of the film, but he’s definitely the driving factor of change for Nadine as she faces one shitty situation after another.

Many are celebrating The Edge of Seventeen as one of the year’s best and freshest films and I don’t exactly agree with those comments.

It is a good film and a rare one that manages to capture the heart and soul of what a true coming-of-age story is without filter, but it’s also one that loses its grab on Nadine as she constantly makes awful decisions one after another. I get that the point of the film is precisely that, but it’s extremely hard to “feel” for a character that possesses very few likable traits.

Still, The Edge of Seventeen is a worthwhile viewing, because of its performances and because of its ability to harness truth and awkwardness in a way that feels authentic and lived in.